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Message: <blockquote data-quote="(un)reason" data-source="post: 8356245" data-attributes="member: 27780">Dungeon Issue 31: Sep/Oct 1991part 5/5Bane of the Shadowborn: After an adventure designed to introduce you to psionics, and one designed to introduce you to the hardships of desert adventuring, we now have one designed to introduce you to the horrors of Ravenloft in a relatively compact form that doesn't require the core boxed set to use. In typically railroady ravenloft fashion, the mists suck the PC's in regardless of what precautions they take, and they're trapped in the grounds of Shadowborn Manor until they defeat the evil magic sword Ebonbane or become it's unliving slaves forever. (or at least, until some more competent heroes show up) One of them turns out to be related to the Paladin who originally owned the manor, and so gets special messages from beyond the grave hinting at how to get out. To have a decent chance at success, they need to recover the four macguffins hidden somewhere around the manor grounds and combine them for the final confrontation, while the sword toys with them even if it could kill them easily, because it's just as trapped here as you are, and eternity is very boring indeed when you only get visitors once every decade or two. Whether you enjoy this or not will depend on if you like having a big chunk of gothic tropes all served to you at once with absolutely no irony or winking to the camera, with lots of portentous boxed text that's intended to build atmosphere, but only works if the players take the expected routes and actions. It's more railroady than I would prefer, but since it's both a tournament module and a Ravenloft one that's not particularly surprising. It's still well done for what it is, and both better quality & less linear than most recent Polyhedron adventures, but not really to my tastes. I'd only break it out if that's really what the group is into.An issue where even if all the adventures aren't to my personal tastes, they've all got lots of style in the way they're written, making them quite pleasing to read, and tread the fine line between being set in more specific settings while remaining usable by newbies well. Can they push things a little further, and have a Spelljammer or Dark Sun adventure that isn't written to cater to nonnatives? Seems like a tall order, but maybe just one as a treat? Let's see if the next issue manages anything particularly cool and unusual.</blockquote>

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